Looking for general music instruction for home-schooled kids? How about a music class that is designed around familiarity with American folk music! I was in elementary school in the 1980s. We had a music class three times a week. Unsurprisingly, it takes a while for music trends to get into the textbooks — so the… Continue reading US Folk Music Classes for Kids
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ESA Students – on Class Wallet
I am now approved as a vendor on Class Wallet! I am hoping that this will make it easy for ESA families to seek out music lessons and classes. I ask that the payment fee (currently 2% of the total) be paid by the student account. Look for me on ClassWallet as “The Music Studio… Continue reading ESA Students – on Class Wallet
“Testing the water” with piano lessons
Will my child’s interest in playing piano be a life-long commitment, or is this a passing fad?That is a very tough question. There are so many factors to consider – and if you, the parent, is not sure of the answer, I can assure you that I, the music teacher, cannot answer that question either… Continue reading “Testing the water” with piano lessons
“Blanking Out” During Music Performance
In the past few years I’ve been trying to play guitar and sing “off book” – and have had various breakthroughs and setbacks. I have found that having a robust understanding of the harmonies and chord progressions and brushing up on ear-training speeds up the learning process prodigiously. However, at the same time I end… Continue reading “Blanking Out” During Music Performance
A “Chord Method” for Piano Learning
One of the interests I’ve had since I was a very young child is how it works to “play by ear.” When I was a child, I thought that it was, basically, a “magical gift” that spontaneously appeared in some people. Then, I learned music theory in college and realized that it was possible to… Continue reading A “Chord Method” for Piano Learning
What is the Circle of Fifths?
What a very good question! I ran across a video the other day that explains this musical concept very well, on YouTube: Many thanks to “YouTuber” BradHarrisonMusic for creating this video. (If the YouTube link is not working, the video can also be accessed locally, here.)
Tips for transcribing music
Transcribing music – some tips —(1) write the notes on a staff as circles, in order, with more or less equal spacing. Write the words/syllables under the notes.(2) Go to your text, set a slower, steady beat (tap, beat with hand in air, or use metronome) sing or speak in rhythm.(3) Mark in the text… Continue reading Tips for transcribing music
Practicing: frequency, scheduling, and duration
Yes, it does need to be discussed — how long should a student practice, how frequently, and how does it become a good habit? I’ll answer all of these questions. Unfortunately, I cannot simply give a pat answer here — there is no “silver bullet” music practice regimen. However, from my own study of music… Continue reading Practicing: frequency, scheduling, and duration
Beginning students: piano or musical keyboard?
Ah, the age old question. I will elaborate. Learning to play piano on a musical keyboard has significant drawbacks. 1) The full name for the piano is “pianoforte.” In Italian, this means, literally, “soft loud.” The precursor instrument to the piano was the harpsichord. On a harpsichord, no matter how hard or lightly the player… Continue reading Beginning students: piano or musical keyboard?
Teaching kids to identify left from right
Very often, as adults, we learned to tell our left from our right so long ago that we do it reflexively, with hardly a though for it. For some young students learning to tell left from right is quite a challenge. Here are some ideas for teaching young children to identify left and right hands.… Continue reading Teaching kids to identify left from right